Herb Variety

French Tarragon

Tarragon comes in a few varieties, including French, Russian, and Mexican. If you’re growing tarragon solely for cooking purposes, the variety you’ll need is French. But, regardless of which type you grow, the plant’s a full sun perennial that should be planted in spring and harvested early in summer. Freeze the leaves to use at a later date. Plants, additionally, need to be pruned regularly to prevent from flowering and growing over two feet tall.

French Tarragon is the only variety used for cooking, particularly for salads and sauces. All others simply don’t have as much flavor. French tarragon needs full sun to partial shade to grow and, in your garden, all transplants should be placed two to three feet apart. Additionally, regular pruning is needed to keep the plant from flowering and to also keep it less than two feet tall.

Recipe: French Tarragon Butter

One way to use French tarragon is as a seasoning. Try it in our French tarragon butter: